San Miguel installs first batch of trains for MRT-7
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) unloaded and installed the first batch of trainset for its ₱68.2-billion Metro Rail Transit Line (MRT-7) in Quezon City this weekend, as the second arrived at the project site on Sept. 12..
The trainsets consisting of three cars each, were ordered from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, and were the first of six expected to be delivered by year's end.
After clearing customs at the Port of Manila, the train sets were dispatched to the MRT-7 tracks between University Avenue and Tandang Sora.
SMC, is the concessionholder for the project and is fully-funding construction of the 22-kilometer mass transit system that links up with the MRT-3 and LRT-1 and extends from North Avenue in Quezon City to San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The first trainset was delivered from the Manila port early Saturday morning and immediately set up at the site, with the second batch of train cars slatedto be mounted by 2 am on Sunday, September 12, according to SMC president Ramon S. Ang.
“Our engineers and workers assigned to unload the trains have been at the site since early Saturday morning until the whole process was completed the following day,: he noted.
"We have to be very thorough during the whole process to ensure that it is done efficiently and quickly while inspections are continuously being done,” Ang added.
“We are working roundthe-clock to meet the first test run by next year," the SMC president stressed.
The MRT-7 project is 60 percent complete, despite pandemic restrictions and pending right-of-way issues.
Workers have already finished installing bored piles, girders, and other foundation works.
The MRT-7 will reduce travel time from Quezon City to Bulacan to 35 minutes, a luxury for daily commuters whose usual trips take hours due to traffic congestion and limited transport options.
SMC ordered a total of 36 trainsets or 108 cars from Hyundai ROTEM.
The trainsets arrived in Manila last September 6 following extensive inspections and factory acceptance testing. South Korea’s national rail manufacturer, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), served as SMC’s adviser.